COLUMN: The Cheapest Decision-Makers in Georgia

Here’s a riddle for you: What do you call a board of directors that oversees a nine-figure budget, manages massive capital asset portfolios, makes decisions that shape thousands of young lives, and have the power to transform whole communities yet are paid less in a year than a high school student earns working at chick-fil-a during the summer?

In Georgia, we call it a school board.

We have two groups of local officials who hold immense power over our daily lives. One group, county commissioners, manages roads, public safety, and county services. The other, school board members, oversees the education of Georgia’s children, manages billion-dollar budgets, and shapes the future of our communities.

An analysis of compensation and budget data from 175 school districts and 145 County governments reveals a stark and troubling disparity. Collectively these school districts manage $23.6 billion in taxpayer revenue—40% more than the $16.8 billion overseen by county commissions. The median school board member earns $4,343 annually. The median county commissioner earns $14,249. That’s 3.3 times more pay for significantly less financial responsibility.

School board members oversee $12,185 in public funds for every dollar of compensation. Commissioners manage $2,688 per dollar. As a percentage of budget, total board compensation runs about 0.04% of district revenue. Commissioner compensation runs 0.18%—4.5 times higher relative to the money they manage.

This pattern holds at every budget tier. Small-jurisdiction commissioners (under $25 million in revenue) earn a median of $11,555. Small-jurisdiction board members earn $3,600. Large-jurisdiction commissioners ($75-200 million) earn $19,485. Large-jurisdiction board members earn $6,850. More budget, less pay—consistent across the state.

The local numbers are worse. In Walker County, school board members earn $50 per meeting or $1,463 a year to oversee $116 million. That’s $79,370 in public funds per dollar of pay. Walker County Commissioners earn $19,000 to manage $70 million—$3,689 per dollar. Walker’s board handles 66% more money for 92% less compensation.

This pattern is not unique. Nearby in Catoosa County, school board members are paid a flat $250 a month, or $3,000 a year to oversee $167 million while county commissioners earn $30,397 for managing $66 million. More than double the budget, one-tenth the pay.

And it doesn’t stop there.

In Jackson County, school board members are paid $1,075 to oversee $147 million. Commissioners get $22,883 to oversee $140 million, a nearly identical revenue responsibility. Pay ratio: about 21 to 1

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Low pay narrows the candidate pool. It selects for people who can afford to serve: retirees, the independently wealthy, those with flexible jobs. It excludes many working parents, hourly employees, people without schedule flexibility. It makes the position a luxury rather than a civic opportunity andOur boards become less representative of the communities they serve.

Low pay encourages deference. When board members feel more like volunteers than decision-makers, they often defer to the superintendent and professional staff. That’s not inherently bad—expertise matters—but boards are supposed to provide oversight, not rubber stamps. A board that doesn’t feel ownership of its role may not exercise it fully.

Low pay diminishes the position’s perceived importance. If we pay commissioners three times more for similar or smaller responsibilities, we’re implicitly saying that managing roads and permits matters more than managing schools. Maybe we believe that. But we should say so clearly rather than letting compensation structures say it for us.

And often, board members work more. Look at Walker county. Last year the county commission reduced its schedule to just a single required meeting per month. The school board, meanwhile, holds a regular meeting and a planning session each month, plus numerous additional meetings during the year for the budget, millage rates, and other critical matters. plus school board members are the among the only local officials in Georgia required by law to complete continuing education hours. Commissioners aren’t.

This isn’t about individuals. The men and women serving on school boards across Georgia are, by and large, dedicated public servants. They put in long hours for little pay because they care about their communities. But the system itself is the problem. It is built on an assumption of altruism that is both unsustainable and unwise.

And common sense tells me when you pay people $1,463 to oversee $116 million, you’re not buying fierce independence. So what’s the answer? Pay board members more? Or are commissioners overpaid?

There is one final point to consider: Over the last twenty years, county budgets grew more slowly than School budgets. Districts hired staff at unprecedented rates. And student achievement? It declined. By essentially every measure. Counties did less with less. Schools did more with more—and delivered worse results.

Maybe commissioners make too much. Maybe board members make too little. Maybe both. But Georgia clearly has a compensation setup for school oversight that incentivizes deference and discourages scrutiny.

And then we wonder why the bureaucracy runs the show and things never change.

BASE DATA

School Board Member Compensation

• Source: open.ga.gov (2024)
• This is the average annualized compensation per board member for each district
• Example: Walker County = $1,463/year per board member

Commissioner Salary

• Source: Georgia DCA Annual Wage & Salary Survey (various years, most recent available)
• This is the annual salary for one commissioner

School District Revenue

• Source: Carl Vinson Institute, UGA (2024)
• Total revenues for the school district

County Government Revenue

• Source: Carl Vinson Institute, UGA (2023)
• Total revenues for the county government

By: Elliot Pierce: The Cheapest Decision-Makers in Georgia – by Elliot Pierce

Father – Conservative – Opinionated Quietly writing, Loudly Exposing about local and state issues in Georgia and Tennessee. Contributor at GeorgiaPol.com & NorthwestGeorgiaNews.com contributor.